I had the intention, this weekend, to go to Belgrade. Everything was already planned, until a detailed failed: I could not rent a car to Serbia. Apparently, rent-a-cars companies have some concerns renting automobiles traveling the European area, for fear of the ‘barbarians’ who live outside the peaceful and civilized Union can do to the propriety of large multinational automotive industry.

I felt for the first time, what is to be a European citizen and have differentiated rights of my other fellow Europeans. I felt bad, of course. With so many examples of barbarity in the inner space of the Union, and with so many other examples of civility in the 'barbarian world', why should we, 'Europeans- citizen' to be placed on moral pedestals when often we give example of the reverse?

It seems there is fear of what the Serbs - these ‘barbarians’ - may do to our car, but if you want to rent the same car and park in the outskirts of civilized Sarkosy France, there is little fear; and to be honest I would probably feel more safe (myself and ‘my car’) in the streets of Belgrade than in the suburbs of Paris…

Recently I've had the opportunity to be in Serbia, and also in France, and let me tell you that I found few differences among these countries. I admit I initially thought that the Serbs could be still lacking some post-modern culture and sense of modernity (in various levels), but I soon realize that they are fully integrated in the cultural and political European reality.

In this sense, I can only appreciate that the distrust they still deserve is generated by what happened at Milosevic time. Now, Serbia today is a very different country. In every aspects. They strongly departed from the recent past and manage to build a stable and prosper democracy. And not only almost one decade passed since the war as most of the perpetrators are arrested and tried by international courts. In this sense, Serbia is an exemplary country to follow and support. Just think that Portugal, for example, never had the same misgivings by the international community when we abandoned an authoritarian regime with fascist characteristics that promoted a savage colonial war in the 60’s and 70’s.

Now, I understand that hypocrisy in international relations is often used to disguise the strategic interests of major system players. What they do not understand is how this Europe of ours has not yet abounded the prejudice it has for some of our close neighbors; who are as ‘civilized’ as us (or even more). And we spend so much time and energy trying to show everybody how ‘cool’ and ‘advanced’ our Union to everybody (when we are not), while trying to block this or that country to enter our ‘civilized club’ due to his ‘barbarian practices’; that indeed we fail to understand that some of this ‘barbarian’ are in fact quite civilized, starting with the Serbs…